The Rise and Fall of Australian Theatre-Restaurants

ABC Capricornia

Topic: Theatre

Thursday, 18 June 2026, at 8:40 am

Kaye and Garyth Walpole have run Footlights Theatre Restaurant since 1994.

In short:

One of Queensland's last theatre-restaurants is selling up after a long decline of 'dinner and a show' venues.

Footlights Theatre Restaurant in Yeppoon has entertained audiences since 1994 with its original stage shows.

What's next?

Industry leaders say changing entertainment trends, high operating costs, and the unique skillset required have contributed to the reduced number of venues.

The stage lights dim, the curtain draws, and the audience chatter hushes.

Garyth and Kaye Walpole open their show with a slapstick skit featuring an operatic song about Italian food.

With a painted-on moustache and a wig, Mr. Walpole plays an incompetent waiter, belting out 'cappuccino' with practised vibrato.

Garyth and Kaye Walpole opened Stagecoach Theatre Restaurant in Geelong in 1981 before moving to Yeppoon.

The duo has been running Footlights Theatre Restaurant for 32 years but has decided it's time to sell as they approach retirement.

For over three decades, Footlights has entertained audiences with original stage shows and nurtured generations of actors with its weekly drama class.

Azariah Beasley is a star student at Footlights.

Azariah Beasley said it had become a 'second family'.

The 12-year-old student said, 'I've grown out of my shell completely.'

Mr. and Mrs. Walpole hope the venue will remain a theatre restaurant, but believe it's unlikely due to high operating costs and a niche skill set.

Audiences were treated to morning tea and a variety show.

Mr. Walpole said, 'Once we've sold it, we've got no say in what it's turned into.'

The building interior is adorned with old photos and memorabilia.

Dinner and a show

Theatre restaurants began in Australia in the 1960s with venues like the Music Hall in Sydney and Tikki & John's in Melbourne.

The unique 'dinner and a show' experience struck a chord with audiences, with similar venues opening across the country.

Theatre academic Sean Mee recalled the heyday of theatre-restaurants in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s.

Audiences loved them, and it was a muck-up.

They were extremely popular and lucrative because they got the crowds.

Actress and playwright Margery Forde agreed.

The audience would be really raucous, and the humour was pretty bawdy.

Paul Newman reminisced about rubbing shoulders with Melbourne's bohemian crowds and his childhood home above the actors' dressing room.

Paul Newman and Luke Newman continue to run the family's entertainment business.

My mother was worried about fire, so my father cut a hole in the floor and put a trapdoor in our bedroom.

We used to open the trapdoor and look down at them getting dressed and running onto stage.

A rare business

Traditional theatre-restaurants have drastically reduced in the 21st century.

The Music Hall in Sydney's Neutral Bay was one of Australia's first theatre-restaurants.

Mr. Mee said the decline was due to evolving entertainment trends and rising operating costs.

People changed, audiences changed, and the costs changed.

These things were commercial exercises, not subsidised or not-for-profit, and ended up being uneconomic.

Ken Lord performing in Brisbane's The Living Room theatre-restaurant.

Luke Newman heads the family business Newman Entertainment and runs a modernised version of his grandparents' operation.

Performers at Tikki & John's in 1970.

Luke Newman said evolving with audiences' needs was crucial but required a wide-ranging skill set.

Not only do you have the theatrical side, but also an entire restaurant and cocktail bar.

Garyth and Kaye Walpole hope to leave a 'legacy of laughter'.

With Footlights now on the market, they are confident the spirit of the performing arts will live on.

I always say that you can't really get bigger than Footlights.

Once you've made Footlights, you've made it!

Thursday, 18 June 2026, at 8:40 am

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The Rise and Fall of Australian Theatre-Restaurants

ABC Capricornia

Topic: Theatre

Thursday, 18 June 2026, at 8:40 am

Kaye and Garyth Walpole have run Footlights Theatre Restaurant since 1994.

In short:

One of Queensland's last theatre-restaurants is selling up after a long decline of 'dinner and a show' venues.

Footlights Theatre Restaurant in Yeppoon has entertained audiences since 1994 with its original stage shows.

What's next?

Industry leaders say changing entertainment trends, high operating costs, and the unique skillset required have contributed to the reduced number of venues.

The stage lights dim, the curtain draws, and the audience chatter hushes.

Garyth and Kaye Walpole open their show with a slapstick skit featuring an operatic song about Italian food.

With a painted-on moustache and a wig, Mr. Walpole plays an incompetent waiter, belting out 'cappuccino' with practised vibrato.

Garyth and Kaye Walpole opened Stagecoach Theatre Restaurant in Geelong in 1981 before moving to Yeppoon.

The duo has been running Footlights Theatre Restaurant for 32 years but has decided it's time to sell as they approach retirement.

For over three decades, Footlights has entertained audiences with original stage shows and nurtured generations of actors with its weekly drama class.

Azariah Beasley is a star student at Footlights.

Azariah Beasley said it had become a 'second family'.

The 12-year-old student said, 'I've grown out of my shell completely.'

Mr. and Mrs. Walpole hope the venue will remain a theatre restaurant, but believe it's unlikely due to high operating costs and a niche skill set.

Audiences were treated to morning tea and a variety show.

Mr. Walpole said, 'Once we've sold it, we've got no say in what it's turned into.'

The building interior is adorned with old photos and memorabilia.

Dinner and a show

Theatre restaurants began in Australia in the 1960s with venues like the Music Hall in Sydney and Tikki & John's in Melbourne.

The unique 'dinner and a show' experience struck a chord with audiences, with similar venues opening across the country.

Theatre academic Sean Mee recalled the heyday of theatre-restaurants in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s.

Audiences loved them, and it was a muck-up.

They were extremely popular and lucrative because they got the crowds.

Actress and playwright Margery Forde agreed.

The audience would be really raucous, and the humour was pretty bawdy.

Paul Newman reminisced about rubbing shoulders with Melbourne's bohemian crowds and his childhood home above the actors' dressing room.

Paul Newman and Luke Newman continue to run the family's entertainment business.

My mother was worried about fire, so my father cut a hole in the floor and put a trapdoor in our bedroom.

We used to open the trapdoor and look down at them getting dressed and running onto stage.

A rare business

Traditional theatre-restaurants have drastically reduced in the 21st century.

The Music Hall in Sydney's Neutral Bay was one of Australia's first theatre-restaurants.

Mr. Mee said the decline was due to evolving entertainment trends and rising operating costs.

People changed, audiences changed, and the costs changed.

These things were commercial exercises, not subsidised or not-for-profit, and ended up being uneconomic.

Ken Lord performing in Brisbane's The Living Room theatre-restaurant.

Luke Newman heads the family business Newman Entertainment and runs a modernised version of his grandparents' operation.

Performers at Tikki & John's in 1970.

Luke Newman said evolving with audiences' needs was crucial but required a wide-ranging skill set.

Not only do you have the theatrical side, but also an entire restaurant and cocktail bar.

Garyth and Kaye Walpole hope to leave a 'legacy of laughter'.

With Footlights now on the market, they are confident the spirit of the performing arts will live on.

I always say that you can't really get bigger than Footlights.

Once you've made Footlights, you've made it!

Thursday, 18 June 2026, at 8:40 am

Promotion

Top Stories

LIVE

BREAKING

Topic: Universities

Topic: War

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Top Stories

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BREAKING

Topic: Universities

Topic: War

LIVE

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Thursday, 18 June 2026, at 12:06 pm

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